Monitoring the status of a touchscreen

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring the status of a touchscreen at a display assembly. Signals are transmitted to the touchscreen. Where signals to the touchscreen are interrupted for at least a predetermined amount of time, a type and location of damage are identified. A visual representation reflecting the type and location of damage at the touchscreen is generated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/810,155 filed Feb. 25, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully restated herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for monitoring the status of a touchscreen.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Increasing supply and decreasing costs have resulted in a greater utilization of touchscreen technology. Such touchscreens are increasingly being used in a number of applications. One such exemplary application is the digital out of home (“DOOH”) advertising industry. DOOH applications include indoor, semi-outdoor, and outdoor digital signage.

Some touchscreens require physical depression (e.g., resistive type), while others require contact with a conductive item (e.g., capacitive type). Some touchscreens suffer from inaccurate touch capture, some have slow response speeds, and many touchscreens are only capable of receiving a limited number of touch inputs at a given time. The use of sigma-delta modulation technology and/or in-cell concurrent capacitive imaging (herein interchangeably referred to as “ICCI”) may overcome some or all of these, and other, deficiencies. Such ICCI technology is available from, for example without limitation, SigmaSense, LLC of Austin Tex. (see sigmasense.com). Such ICCI technology may comprise, for example without limitation, systems and method which energize an entire touchscreen array while the touchscreen is operated and monitor for signal reflections. The touchscreen's steady-state behavior may be monitored and used as a baseline to determine anomalous behavior, such as user input.

Touchscreens, particularly those in DOOH applications, may be exposed to harsh conditions. Such harsh conditions may include, for example without limitation, vandalism, smudging, wildlife, other environmental hazards, rain, sun, sleet, snow, high winds, other weather conditions, accidents, some combination thereof, or the like. Such harsh conditions may cause damage affecting the touchscreen's functionality and may result in operational downtime. Even if such damage does not affect functionality of the touchscreen, it may affect visibility—which can impact revenue, especially in the DOOH market.

Even if a touchscreen is remotely monitored, not all damage will be sufficient to trigger an alert. For example, such alerts may be generated only upon certain failure type events. Systems may not exist to monitor for other levels of damage such as, but not limited to, surface scratches, smudges, obstructions, screen cracks, or similar. Furthermore, even if an alert is generated, there is insufficient information provided to determine the type of damage to the touchscreen. For example, a remote user may be unable to determine if the whole unit needs replaced, and therefore a skilled team with replacement parts needs to be dispatched to make the repair, or if the unit is only lightly damaged in an easily repaired fashion (e.g., excess smudging or bird excrement) which might require only an unskilled technician to wipe down the screen.

What is needed is a system and method for monitoring the status of a touchscreen. Systems and methods for monitoring the status of a touchscreen are provided. One or more display assemblies may be in communication with a network operations center. Each display assembly may comprise one or more touchscreens, one or more touchscreen controllers, and a network communications device. The touchscreens may utilize ICCI technology. The touchscreens may be monitored periodically, or continuously, for damage. Such monitoring may be reported in substantially real time. The presence of damage may be determined by detecting interruptions in the touchscreen signals distributed across the touchscreen by the touchscreen controller. For example, without limitation, persisting touch input at a given area may indicate a first type of damage, persistent signal interruption across a portion of the touchscreen may indicate a second type of damage, and persistent signal interruption to the entire touchscreen may indicate a third type of damage. The location of damage may be determined based on the area where the signal is interrupted. A visual representation of the touchscreen, along with a visual representation of damage thereto, may be generated. The visual representation may indicate the type and/or location of the damage.

Further features and advantages of the systems and methods disclosed herein, as well as the structure and operation of various aspects of the present disclosure, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In addition to the features mentioned above, other aspects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments, wherein like reference numerals across the several views refer to identical or equivalent features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of an exemplary system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed top perspective view of an exemplary display assembly for use with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic for use with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a flow chart illustrating other exemplary logic for use with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is an exemplary visual representation of an exemplary touchscreen with a first type of damage;

FIG. 4B is another exemplary visual representation of the exemplary touchscreen with a second type of damage; and

FIG. 4C is another exemplary visual representation of the exemplary touchscreen with a third type of damage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as detailed configuration and components are merely provided to assist the overall understanding of these embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing.

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of an exemplary system in accordance with the present invention. One or more display assemblies 100 a-100 n may be placed in electronic communication with a network operations center 120. Any number, size, shape, type, orientation, and the like of display assemblies 100 a-100 n may be utilized. A network operations center 120 may comprise one or more electronic devices such as, but not limited to, personal computers, smartphones, tablets, electronic displays, some combination thereof, or the like. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more of the display assemblies 100 a-100 n may be placed in electronic communication with one or more remote electronic devices 121 operated outside of the network operations center 120.

Electronic communication with the display assemblies 100 a-100 n may be accomplished by way of network communication devices 106 located at each respective display assembly 100 a-100 n. Such electronic communication may be realized through wired connections, wireless connections, some combination thereof, or the like. Such networks may comprise internets, intranets, the world wide web, cellular networks, some combination thereof, or the like. Each display assembly 100 a-100 n may comprise one or more touchscreen electronic displays 102 (hereinafter also, touchscreens 102). The touchscreens 102 may comprise liquid crystal displays, organic light emitting diode displays, plasma displays, or the like. Furthermore, the touchscreens 102 may be directly backlit or edge lit. The touchscreens 102 may further comprise various anti-glare layers, anti-smudge layers, protective layers, and the like. In exemplary embodiments, the touchscreens 102 utilize ICCI technology, though any type of touchscreen technology may be utilized.

If a respective display assembly 100 a-100 n comprises more than one touchscreen 102. Such touchscreens 102 may be arranged back to back, side by side, above and below one another, some combination thereof, or the like. Each of the touchscreens 102 may be operable by way of touch input. A touchscreen controller 104 may be placed in electronic communication with one or more of the touchscreens 102 in a respective display assembly 100 a-100 n. Upon receipt of touch input at the touchscreen 102, the touchscreen controller 104 may command the touchscreen 102 to alter the image displayed thereon based upon the touch input as received and processed at the touchscreen controller 104. The touchscreen controller 104 may, alternatively or additionally, monitor for touch input at the one or more of the touchscreens 102.

Where a given display assembly 100 a-100 n comprises more than one touchscreen 102, more than one touchscreen controller 104 may be utilized, though such is not required. Each of the touchscreen controllers 104 may comprise software utilizing ICCI technology. Such ICCI technology and software may be available from, for example without limitation, SigmaSense, LLC of Austin Tex. (see sigmasense.com/). The touchscreen controllers 104 may be configured to monitor the touchscreens 102 for touch input and may change the image displayed on the respective touchscreen 102 in response to the received touch input. Activity recorded by the touchscreen controllers 104, and/or images displayed on the touchscreen 102, may be remotely monitored at the network operations center 120 and/or at other remotely located electronic devices 121 by way of the network communications device 106.

Each display assembly 100 a-100 n may comprise a housing 108. The housing 108 may partially or wholly enclose the electronic display(s) 102, the touchscreen controller(s) 104, and the network communication device 106 for the respective display assembly 100 a-100 n. The housing 108 may be ruggedized such that the display assembly 100 a-100 n may withstand various environmental conditions such as, but not limited to, rain, snow, wind, high temperatures, low temperatures, sunlight, hail, sleet, physical impact, vandalism, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a detailed top perspective view of an exemplary display assembly 100 a. In exemplary embodiments, without limitation, such ruggedization may be accomplished by providing an open loop pathway for the ingestion and exhaustion of ambient air 112. Intake 110 and exhaust apertures may be provided on the display assemblies 100 a-100 n to facilitate the intake and exhaust of ambient air 112. One or more fans may be provided along the open loop pathway to facilitate the ingestion, exhaustion, and other movement of the ambient air 112. In exemplary embodiments, the open loop pathway travels along the rear surface of the backlight for the touchscreen 102, though such is not required.

A closed loop pathway for circulating air 114 may also be provided within the respective display assembly 100 a-100 n in exemplary embodiments, without limitation. The closed loop pathway may be in thermal communication with some or all of the components of the respective display assembly 100 a-100 n so as to remove heat generated by such components. The closed loop pathway may be placed in thermal communication with the open loop pathway to transfer heat from the circulating gas 114 to the ambient air 112. The ambient air 112 may also provide cooling for the display assembly 100 a and various components thereof. Such thermal communication may be accomplished by way of an air to air heat exchanger. In this way, the circulating gas 114 may remain substantially free from contaminants that may otherwise be present in the ambient air 112. One or more fans may be provided along the closed loop pathway to facilitate the movement of the circulating gas 114. In exemplary embodiments, the closed loop pathway may pass between a transparent cover for, and a display surface of, the touchscreen 102. The various display assemblies 100 a-100 n may be the same or different from one another.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are flow charts illustrating exemplary logic for use with the system of FIG. 1. The touchscreen controllers 104 may periodically or continuously transmit signals to the touchscreens 102 and monitor for interruptions. To so monitor the touchscreens 102, the touchscreen controllers 104 may continuously or periodically disburse signals across the touchscreens 102 and monitor the received signals for weakness, interruption, or other irregularities.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3A, if such signals are wholly or partially interrupted for less than a predetermined period of time, then the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine that touch input has been received and adjust the image displayed on the touchscreen based on the received touch input. However, if such signals are wholly or partially interrupted for more than the predetermined period of time, the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine that damage has been detected.

If damage is detected, the type and location of the damage may be identified. Identification of the type of damage may be achieved by determining the level of interference with touchscreen signals being generated and transmitted across the touchscreen 102 by the touchscreen controllers 104. For example, without limitation, if a signal is only partially interrupted or weakened, it may be determined that a first type of damage has occurred. Such first types of damage may include, for example without limitation, surface obstructions. If a signal is completely interrupted, it may be determined that a second type of damage has occurred. Such second types of damage may include, for example without limitation, scratches, cracks, or other physical damage. If no signals are returned whatsoever, it may be determined that a third type of damage has occurred. Such third types of damage may include, for example without limitation, failure or downtime events.

Alternatively, or additionally, and referring particularly to FIG. 3B, if such signal interruptions represent touch input and such interruption has not persisted for at least the predetermined period of time, the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine that touch input has been received and adjust the image displayed on the touchscreen based on the received touch input. The touchscreen controllers 104 may, for example without limitation, determined that the interruption constitutes touch input where the interruption is consistent with other touch inputs received. However, if the interruption is consistent with touch input and has persisted for more than a predetermined period of time, the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine that the first type of damage has occurred.

If such signal interruptions do not represent touch input, the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine if the interruption is over part of all of the touchscreen 102. The touchscreen controllers 104 may, for example without limitation, determined that the interruption does not constitute touch input where the interruption indicates missing signals, scrambled signals, some combination thereof, or the like. If the interruption is over part of the touchscreen 102, the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine that the second type of damage has occurred. If the interruption is over the enrage touchscreen 102, the touchscreen controllers 104 may determine that the third type of damage has occurred.

Identification of the location of the damage may be achieved by determining the locations on the touchscreen 102 where signals from the touchscreen controllers 104 are interrupted. The entire touchscreen 102 may be scanned to outline the area(s) where the signals are interrupted.

FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C illustrate exemplary visual representations of the touchscreen 102 having a first, second, and third type of damage, respectively. At the network operations center 120, a visual representation 130 comprising one or more graphical representations of the type and location of damage 132 to the touchscreen 102 may be generated. The visual representation 130 may further comprise one or more graphical representations of the touchscreen 102 and/or the display assemblies 100. For example, without limitation, the visual representation of damage 132 may be color coded or otherwise patterned to indicate the severity of such damage. The visual representation of damage 132 may likewise be sized and scaled to represent the size, location, or other extent of the damaged area of the touchscreen 102. Further information may be provided in conjunction with the visual representation 130 such a, but not limited to, a textual description of the type and/or location of the damage 132, the location or other identifying information for the touchscreen 102, the location or other identifying information for the display assembly 100, part numbers for the touchscreen 102 or components thereof, some combination thereof, or the like. Repair efforts may be assigned and undertaken based on the visual representation 130. This may permit the proper personnel to be assigned to the repair effort, for the proper equipment and other resources to be allocated, and for the repair team to prepare for the repair efforts. Requests for repair may be automatically generated comprising the type and/or location of damage. The request for repair may comprise identifying information for the touchscreen 102, identifying information for the display assembly 100, part numbers for the touch screen 102, billing information, instructions, technical details, some combination thereof, or the like.

Referring to the example provided in FIG. 4A, the first type of damage may comprise surface obstructions, for example without limitation. The first type of damage may be illustrated on the visual representation 130A in the size and shape as they have occurred on the touchscreen 102. Such surface level obstructions may include, for example without limitation, excessive smudging, spilled liquids or other materials, bird or other wildlife droppings, paper, tape, some combination thereof, or the like. The first type of damage may be determined, for example without limitation, where signals corresponding to persistent touch input are received. In such cases, a request for repair may be transmitted to an unskilled or less skilled team. For example, without limitation, the repair request may comprise instructions to spray and wipe down the touchscreen 102 or otherwise check for and remove surface obstructions. The repair request may comprise, for example without limitation, the type of spray materials compatible with the touchscreen.

Referring to the example provided in FIG. 4B, the second type of damage may comprise scratches or other physical damage to the touchscreen 102, for example without limitation. The second type of damage may be illustrated on the visual representation 130B in the size and shape as they have occurred on the touchscreen 102. Such physical damage may be determined, for example without limitation, where persistent signal interruption is determined for part, but not all, of the touchscreen 102. In such cases, a request for repair may be transmitted to a skilled team or technician. The requests for repair in such cases may include, for example without limitation, one or more identifiers for replacement parts believed to be required based on the type of damage and the touchscreens 102 installed at the display assembly 100. Instructions for installation of the replacement parts may be provided with the repair request, for example without limitation.

Referring to the example provided in FIG. 4C, the third type of damage may comprise a complete failure or downtime of the touchscreen 102. The third type of damage may be illustrated on the visual representation 130C with an error message 132C, for example without limitation. Such failure may be determined where persistent signal interruption is determined for the entire touchscreen 102. The requests for repair in such cases may include, for example without limitation, one or more identifiers for replacement touchscreens 102 believed to be required based on the type of damage and the touchscreens 102 installed at the display assembly 100.

The damage 132 illustrated in the visual representation 130 may be color coded or patterned to indicate that the damage 132 is a first, second, or third type of damage. The visual representations 132 may be updated in substantially real time and such updates may be performed continuously or at any interval. The repair requests may request that photographic evidence be provided of completed jobs.

In exemplary embodiments, such as but not limited to, where the touchscreens 102 utilize ICCI technology, signal interruptions may be determined where received signals vary from an established steady-state behavior. Steady-state behavior may be determined by energizing an entire array for the touchscreen and monitoring the touchscreen for an initial period of time to establish steady-state behavior. Exemplary touch input may be provided to determine exemplary touch input. In such embodiments, comparisons may be made against exemplary touch input to determine signal interruptions which do or do not represent touch input. Regardless, where signal behavior varies from the established steady-state behavior, a determination may be made that the signal is interrupted. Alternatively, or additionally, signal interruption may be determined where no signals are received following transmission.

Any of the steps described herein may be performed in any order. Any of the steps may be repeated any number of times. Certain operations described herein may be performed by one or more electronic devices. Each electronic device may comprise one or more processors, electronic storage devices, executable software instructions, and the like configured to perform the operations described herein. The electronic devices may be general purpose computers or specialized computing device. The electronic devices may include the touchscreen controller 104 and/or may be personal computers, smartphone, tablets, databases, servers, or the like. The electronic connections and transmissions described herein may be accomplished by wired or wireless means.

Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the features of the other embodiments of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for monitoring the status of a touchscreen at a display assembly, said method comprising the steps of: transmitting signals to the touchscreen; determining that signals to the touchscreen have been interrupted for at least a predetermined amount of time; identifying a type of damage; identifying a location of damage; and generating a visual representation indicating the type and location of damage at the touchscreen.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: generating a request for repair indicating the type of damage, the location of the damage, and identifying information for the display assembly.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein: the step of identifying the type of damage comprises the sub-steps of: receiving persistent touch input for more than the predetermined amount of time; and determining that the type of damage comprises a surface obstruction.
 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of: generating a request for repair indicating the type of damage, the location of the damage, and identifying information for the display assembly; and said request for repair is transmitted to an unskilled team.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein: the step of identifying the type of damage comprises the sub-steps of: determining that signal interruptions persist over a portion of the touchscreen; and determining that the type of damage comprises physical damage.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of: generating a request for repair indicating the type of damage, the location of the damage, and identifying information for the display assembly; and said request for repair is transmitted to a skilled team and comprises one or more identifiers for replacement parts.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein: the step of identifying the type of damage comprises the sub-steps of: determining that signal interruptions persist over the entire touchscreen; and determining that the type of damage comprises a failure event.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of: generating a request for repair indicating the type of damage, the location of the damage, and identifying information for the display assembly; and said request for repair is transmitted to a skilled team and comprises one or more identifiers for replacement touchscreens.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein: said display assembly comprises an open loop pathway for ambient air.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein: said display assembly comprises a closed loop pathway for circulating gas.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein: said visual representation is displayed at a network operations center in electronic communication with said display assembly.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein: said visual representation is displayed at a personal electronic device in electronic communication with said display assembly.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein: said touchscreen comprises ICCI technology.
 14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: energizing an entire array for the touchscreen during operation; monitoring the touchscreen for an initial period of time to establish steady-state behavior; and determining that signals to the touchscreen have been interrupted where signal input varies from the established steady-state behavior.
 15. A system for monitoring the status of a touchscreen comprising: a housing for the touchscreen; a touchscreen controller in electronic communication with the touchscreen and comprising one or more electronic storage devices: a network communication device configured to facilitate electronic communication between the touchscreen controller and one or more remote electronic devices; and executable software instructions located at the one or more electronic storage devices, which when executed configure one or more processors to: determine that surface level damage has occurred where signals interruptions consistent with persistent touch input are received for more than a predetermined amount of time for a location; determine that physical damage has occurred where signal interruptions in the form of weakened, missing, or erroneous signals are experience for the location more than the predetermined amount of time; determine that a failure event has occurred where signal interruptions in the form of weakened, missing, or erroneous signals are experience for the entire touchscreen for more than the predetermined amount of time; and transmit data, by way of the network communication device to the one or more electronic devices, sufficient to generate, at the one or more electronic devices, a visual representation comprising one or more graphical representations of a type of damage and a location of damage.
 16. The system of claim 15 wherein: the one or more electronic devices are located at a network operations center.
 17. The system of claim 15 further comprising: an open loop pathway for ambient air extending along a backlight for the touchscreen; and a closed loop pathway for circulating gas passing between a transparent cover for the touchscreen and a display surface for the touchscreen.
 18. The system of claim 15 wherein: said type of damage is selected from the group consisting of: surface level damage, physical damage, and failure event; and said location of damage is selected from the group consisting of: said single area and said entire touchscreen.
 19. The system of claim 15 wherein: said touchscreen comprises ICCI technology.
 20. A method for monitoring the status of touchscreens at display assemblies and automatically initiating repair efforts, said method comprising the steps of: providing a number of display assemblies in electronic communication with a network operations center, wherein each of said display assemblies comprise: a touchscreen; a housing for the touchscreen; an ambient air pathway through said housing; a network communication device configured to facilitate electronic communication to said network operations center; and a touchscreen controller in electronic communication with said touchscreen; energizing an entire array for each touchscreen during operation of the touchscreen; monitoring each touchscreen for an initial period to establish steady-state behavior; determining that damage has occurred to a particular one of the touchscreens based on the receipt of signal input that varies from the established steady-state behavior for said particular one of the touchscreens, wherein a type of damage is determined to be: surface level damage where the received signal input indicates persistent touch input for a single area for more than a predetermined amount of time; physical damage where the received signal input indicates complete signal interruptions for the single area for more than the predetermined amount of time; and a failure event where the received signal input indicates complete signal interruptions for the entire touchscreen for more than the predetermined amount of time; generating, at the network operations center, a visual representation indicating the type and location of the damage; and transmitting a request for repair comprising identifying information for the particular one of the display assemblies associated with the particular one of the touchscreens, the type of damage, the location of the damage, and repair instructions. 